“Bye,” Taryn said and ended the call.
“What am I using a swear word about?” Jorja asked.
Taryn explained what Irene had said. “So, no more working with Kaitlin on anything. Her deposit won’t cover the damages.”
“I’ll gladly use a swear word to not have to deal with her again,” Jorja declared as Clinton made the turn into the parking lot at the back of the shop.
Anna Rose pointed toward Kaitlin, who was standing beside her car and glaring at them. “Maybe you better whisper a few bad words for practice because it looks like you’re going to have to find some of those words sooner than later.”
“Maybe you better pray before we get out of the van,” Taryn teased Jorja.
“It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission in a case like this,” Clinton said.
Taryn nodded. “Forget what I told you. Do what Clinton said.”
The expression on Kaitlin’s face reminded Taryn of something her grandmother used to tell them when they were all little girls: “If you don’t get that look off your face, it’s going to freeze like that, and you’ll be sorry every time you look in the mirror.”
Clinton parked and got out of the van; then he slid the side panel door open. Jorja and Anna Rose climbed out at the same time Taryn slid out of the passenger seat. She unhooked all the straps and then picked the baby up, leaving the carrier in the van.
“The shop is closed right now, so whatever you’ve got to say will have to wait until business hours,” Taryn said.
“I’m here for Paige’s deposit,” Kaitlin said. “Our preacher called me a few minutes ago and said that you all refused to clean up. I paid enough for the rentals and the flowers that I figured that job was included when you picked up the arch and those things.”
“You figured wrong,” Jorja told her. “Did you even read the invoice that you signed?”
Anna Rose took a couple of steps forward. “I would be ashamed to leave a church in the mess that you did. That poor preacher was trying to pick up trash and clean up, and that’s not his job. That will not look good on you since you’re the wedding coordinator.”
“I’ll hire someone to clean it up first thing tomorrow morning,” Kaitlin hissed.
“Girl, have you no business sense at all?” Jorja asked. “Whoever you hire is going to gossip about what an unholy mess you left behind, and no one is going to want you to do their events. If you go in there right now and work until daylight, you might be able to salvage your reputation as a planner. Just a word of advice: you better rent a steam cleaner because all those red punch stains on the pew cushions are going to be tough to get out.”
Kaitlin opened her mouth, but Anna Rose threw up a palm. “Plus, I can’t even imagine how many pictures are already on Instagram and videos that are probably all over social media by now that show what a mess was made. You are skating on thin ice.”
“Just give me the deposit, and the rest is none of your business,” Kaitlin practically growled.
“You don’t get that deposit back,” Taryn said. “The prayer bench alone is ruined.”
Clinton opened the rear door of the van and set the bench out on the driveway. “Look at it. That chocolate stain will never come out of white velvet. We will have to replace this, and it will cost more than your deposit.”
“I’ll take you to small-claims court,” Kaitlin threatened.
“We have before and after pictures of every piece you rented,” Jorja told her, “so that might not be a good idea.”
Taryn was glad Clinton was there, and she could have hugged Jorja. Her sweet little cousin had grown a backbone!
Kaitlin’s eyes narrowed into slits. “I meant it when I told you I would never do business with you again.”
“Even if you wanted to, our answer wouldn’t be no buthell no,” Jorja said. “We don’t need this kind of stress from anyone—but I do have one question: What on earth made you think you were hiring us to be bossed around or to clean up your mess?”
Without even bothering to answer, Kaitlin got into her car and spun out with such force that she threw gravel all over the van and the trailer. Taryn whipped around and covered Zoe’s face and body with her own. The small rocks stung when they hit her back, but that was better than them hitting the baby in the face.
Before the gray dust had even settled, Clinton was beside Taryn. “Are you all right? Did any of that hurt either of you?”
“We’re fine. I just got a couple of little pings on my back, but it wasn’t even as bad as a mosquito bite,” Taryn assured him.
“Who would have thought that the flower business could be as bad as war?” he asked and then turned around to the other two women. “Are either of you hurt?”
“Nothing that a good cold beer won’t fix,” Anna Rose said. “Let’s put this stuff in the storage room and go inside the trailer for a cold one. After this, I’m buying pizza for supper and having it delivered.”
